Obama administration announces that DREAM Act students will not be deportation targets
By Kylie Reynolds
Aug. 20, 2011 2:32 p.m.
An announcement Thursday that undocumented students will not be the focus of deportations under a federal immigration enforcement program has heralded praise from students and DREAM Act supporters.
This policy, which falls under the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program, will allow students more freedom in revealing their undocumented status and protect many students’ families who could face deportation, said Carlos Hernandez, a fourth-year psychobiology student and co-chair of IDEAS at UCLA.
The Obama administration said it will review 300,000 deportation cases to identify those illegal immigrants who are “low-priority” offenders. This will include DREAM Act students who have been here since childhood and families with long-standing roots in the country.
If identified as low-priority, immigrants could possibly be given work permits and will be less likely to be sent to deportation proceedings, officials said.
The federal government can then turn its attention toward identifying undocumented convicted felons and other security threats, officials said.
Hernandez said the announcement is a step in the right direction for the administration. He said undocumented students will no longer have to worry about walking down the street or getting checked by Homeland Security at public transportation stations.
“It is a breath of fresh air,” Hernandez said. “A lot of students can now reveal their status. We will be able to go to Congress, Sacramento, Washington, D.C. and be pushy (about our goals)… without risk.”
Undocumented students and proponents, however, are worried the policy will be the only action the administration takes in support of illegal immigrants, Hernandez said.
“We will be disappointed if this is all we get,” Hernandez said. “We are fighting for legality and passports.”
While touted as President Barack Obama’s strongest attempt to push his immigration policy forward thus far, critics have labeled the policy as a form of blanket amnesty to large groups of illegal immigrants.
